1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for electric connection, and more particularly, to the structure of a connector for SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) cards applied to cellular phones, etc.
2. Related Art
In recent years, SIM-card attachable cellular phones are widely used. The SIM card is an IC card on which contractor information published by a telephone company is recorded, and is used for identification of a user by being inserted into a cellular phone. For example, after purchasing an SIM card, a user can immediately use the card by attaching it to a cellular phone. The user can also use another cellular phone with the same telephone number by changing an SIM card. Moreover, the user can freely use a plurality of SIM cards with the same cellular phone.
As for a connector for such SIM card, a connector for an IC card has been invented which allows easy attachment/detachment of the IC card such as SIM card or the like, and prevents disengagement of the IC card (refer, for example, to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-071353 (Patent Document 1)).
FIG. 12 is a perspective external view showing an example of connector of Patent Document 1 with a cover opened. FIG. 12 corresponds to FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 12, a connector 7 is shaped roughly like a flat rectangle as a whole. The connector 7 includes a housing 70 as a pedestal and a cover 80 having one end rotatably supported by the housing 70. The housing 70 and cover 80 have substantially the same size.
Referring to FIG. 12, when inserting an IC card 9 into the connector 7, the cover 80 is opened to insert the IC card 9 into an opening 80a of the cover 80 from the direction of arrow B. On the other hand, when removing the IC card 9 from the cover 80, the IC card 9 is drawn to the direction of arrow C with the cover 80 opened. After inserting the IC card 9 into the cover 80, by closing and sliding the cover 80 in the direction of arrow A2, the cover 80 becomes in the locked state. Then, a plurality of contacts 71 and a plurality of connection terminals 9a of the IC card 9 make contact with each other to maintain the electrically connected state. By sliding the cover 80 in the direction of arrow A1, the cover 80 is released from the locked state, and can be opened.
Referring to FIG. 12, the connector 7 includes an opening-operation part 82. The opening-operation part 82 is formed with a portion of the cover 80 to carry out opening operation thereof. The cover 80 is rotated about a pivot shaft 81 as a fulcrum, wherein the opening-operation part 82 that is a point close to the fulcrum serves as a power point, and the opening 80a for card insertion/removal that is a remote point opposite the fulcrum serves as an application point. The connector 7 allows easy insertion/removal of the IC card 9 and prevents disengagement thereof.
Referring to FIG. 12, a pair of grooves 85a and 85b are provided on both sides of the cover 80. The pair of grooves 85a and 85b serve to guide the IC card 9 when inserting/removing the IC card 9 into/from the cover 80. The pair of grooves 85a and 85b are obtained by bending a pair of side portions 85a and 85b inwardly, and have a C-shaped cross section. A pair of claws 86a and 86b for engaging the cover 80 to the housing 70 are provided to the pair of side portions 85a and 85b. The cover 80 includes an opening/closing assisting piece 87 that is an elastic material for assisting opening/closing of the cover 80.
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of the IC card 9 applied to the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, wherein the IC card is seen from the side of the connection terminals. Referring to FIG. 13, the IC card 9 is configured by accommodating an IC chip, not shown, in an insulative plastic casing 9b. The IC chip is connected to a plurality of metal foils stuck on the surface of the casing 9b. The metal foils having a plurality of divisions serve as connection terminals 9a of the IC card 9.
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing an example of an IC card 1 that is smaller than that shown in FIG. 13, wherein the IC card is seen from the side of the connection terminals. The small-sized IC card 1 shown in FIG. 14, for example, is a mini-UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) that is called as a next-generation general-purpose IC card.
The small-sized IC card 1 shown in FIG. 14 has the same structure as that of the IC card 9 shown in FIG. 13. However, the external shape of a casing 1b of the IC card 1 is considerably smaller than that of the casing 9b of the IC card 9. On the other hand, the external shape of connection terminals 1a of the IC card 1 are merely slightly smaller than that of the connection terminals 9a of the IC card 9. Therefore, an insulation width t extending from both sides of the casing 1b to the connection terminals 1a (refer to FIG. 14) is smaller than an insulation width T extending from both sides of the casing 9b to the connection terminals 9a (refer to FIG. 13).
Typically, the cover 80 shown in FIG. 12 is obtained by forming a metal sheet, so that the IC card 1 having slight insulation width t shown in FIG. 14 has a problem that the plurality of connection terminals 1a may be short-circuited by the pair of grooves 85a and 85b. Thus, there is a demand for connectors of new structure that are also applicable to IC cards having greater percentage of the area occupied by a plurality of connection terminals with respect to the area of an insulative casing and a slim insulation width. This is a problem to be solved by the present invention.